A week has finally gone by.

The initial time given to the members of VIXX by Soo-ah was due.

‘Good morning, Dr. Kwon,’ the staff greeted her.

‘Good morning.’ She smiles.

As she enters the hospital, she greeted the patients and her coworkers one by one. She was making her way towards her office, the meeting place for her and the boys.

During the past week while the boys were away, she kept a close watch on the Dark Hakyeon and observed his behaviors daily. She was given by the task from the Heavens to make sure this Cha Hakyeon is kept away and bring back the original. On the other hand, she was also trying to make sure the original Hakyeon’s body was protected. The members were afraid that if they didn’t keep watch on the Dark Hakyeon, he might eventually try to hurt the real one’s body now that he’s in control. The boys left their hyung’s safety in Soo-ah’s hands.

Luckily, the Dark Hakyeon did not recognize Soo-ah despite the fact that they have actually passed by one another countless times in Limbo. It could be because it has been many centuries have gone by and therefore the Dark Hakyeon could care less about who this Dr. Kwon Soo-ah really is.

Giving the boys a week might have been a bit too short though, at least that’s what she thought at first.

Then, as she opened her office doors, a smile appeared on her face.

Maybe a week was too long instead.

All five members were waiting for her in her office with a determined face on. There was no doubt about it, they were all prepared and they have all found their answers.

No matter how many times the members have been reborn, their fate was tied to one another’s and Cha Hakyeon’s. After going through so many obstacles throughout their lifetime, the six of them were inseparable.

~

As Taekwoon had originally planned, he decided to confront the Dark Hakyeon in person.

Even though this Hakyeon was different from the original, he still had the same face and body of the original Cha Hakyeon. Taekwoon slowly opened the door to the room.

And like always, the younger members could only watch from afar.

In the midst of the Dark Hakyeon’s usual rampage, he looked at who else was coming inside to disturb him. But as soon as he saw Taekwoon’s face, he dropped everything he was holding and rushed towards the latter.

‘Taekwoonie!!’ Hakyeon was excited and hugged him. ‘It’s been so long! Where were you? Why haven’t you visited me lately?’

‘Uh, I was back home to visit my family. Sorry.’ Taekwoon lied.

He is Cha Hakyeon. No matter whether he is the light or the dark one, he is still Hakyeonie. Taekwoon told himself.

‘Aw~ if only I could meet them too.’ He pouted.

‘Sorry, maybe next time…’ Taekwoon tried to pat on the boy’s head and comfort him.

Taekwoon felt strange whenever he’s around the Dark Hakyeon. Rather than fear, he felt somewhat familiar with this Hakyeon as well. Could it be because they have fought one another in the distant past as Soo-ah have told them? And unlike towards the other members, this Hakyeon loved Taekwoon a lot.

As days went by, Taekwoon frequently continued his visits to Hakyeon and talk with the boy. Though it was mainly Hakyeon that did all the talking and being happy, Taekwoon felt a bit of nostalgia watching this Hakyeon in front of him.

Before Taekwoon and the real Hakyeon had a fight and ignored one another, Hakyeon used to be very chatty and always clung onto Taekwoon even though it was obvious that Taekwoon wasn’t very comfortable with all the skinship.

But seeing this child-like Hakyeon jump around, clinging onto him, and just being himself, Taekwoon couldn’t help but miss the original Hakyeon even more. Taekwoon wished he could go back in time and change everything he could about the past, he wish he could just be honest with Hakyeon and tell him everything.

‘I feel bad for Taekwoon-hyung…’ Hyuk sympathized with the older as he and the others watched from afar. ‘If only that Hakyeon-hyung would accept us as well.’

‘If he did, our Hakyeon-hyung would have been back ages ago.’ Wonshik sighed.

‘I guess.’

‘But I still don’t get why he’s only clingy to Taekwoon-hyung. Even the real Hakyeon-hyung wasn’t thaaaat affectionate, was he?’ Jaehwan tries hard to remember.

The other members shrugged.

‘It is also a mystery to me as to why this Cha Hakyeon loves Taekwoon so much. I have yet to find the answer to that as well,’ Soo-ah commented as she accompanied the boys to watch over Taekwoon and Hakyeon.

‘Kong-ah, you’re unusually quiet. Are you sick?’ Jaehwan asked.

Hongbin haven’t really said a word as he just leaned back against the wall from the side. Somehow, even though the Hakyeon inside the room isn’t the real one, Hongbin couldn’t bear to watch the boy being all over Taekwoon. It was irritating enough to just listen to Hakyeon’s happy voice when talking with Taekwoon only.

Dammit. Even this Hakyeon is all over Taekwoon-hyung…

‘I’m fine.’ Hongbin replied. ‘I’m going to grab a drink. I’ll be right back.’

*Clank*

The bottle of water dropped down from the vending machine.

Hongbin grabbed it immediately and chugged half the bottle down his throat. Then, he let out a deep sigh.

The boy sat down on the bench nearby and looked towards the ceiling.

‘What am I being jealous about? This is the usual…’ Hongbin mumbled to himself.

‘Lee Hongbin,’ Soo-ah called to him as she found the boy wander off alone and far from the rest of the members.

‘Huh? Why are you here?’

‘I should be asking you that question. What are you doing here alone?’

‘What? I can’t even be alone now when I want to?’ Hongbin grunted.

‘No. That’s not what I mean. Are you perhaps… jealous of those two?’ Soo-ah asked.

‘Huh?! Wh-what? Jealous?!’

She sighed as she saw the flustered expression on Hongbin.

‘I-I’m not jealous okay?!’ Hongbin continued to deny despite his stuttering. ‘They’re made for one another. You said so yourself. So why should I be jealous?’

Hongbin couldn’t look at Soo-ah in the eyes. She knows. The boy’s emotions were scattered all over the place.

‘It’s true that they have fallen for one another several times in their previous lives. But…’

‘But?’

‘I never said that they have only loved one another and no one else.’

‘Wh-what do you mean?’

‘Lee Hongbin. Do you remember what I told you last night?’ Soo-ah asked.

Late last night, Hongbin received a text message from an unknown sender. That sender turned out to be Soo-ah. She was looking for him to tell him something he must know.

‘What is it that you want to talk about?’ Hongbin asked as he met up with her at a nearby café, with his face mask on so that no one could recognize him despite it being past midnight already.

‘I need you to help me with the process of bringing the members into Hakyeon’s Dreamscape.’ Soo-ah said.

‘Help you? How?’

‘Lee Hongbin. You, unlike the other members, was never once born a God. You have been a mortal since the beginning of time and therefore, you will be unable to enter inside Dreamscape.’

‘What?! What are you…’ Hongbin gulped, it can’t be-

‘Unfortunately, there are two circumstances for one to enter inside of Dreamscape. One being bounded to the fate of who’s dream you are trying to enter and two, having a connection to either the Heavens or Hell.’

‘Then I…’

‘Yes, though you and Hakyeon have been bounded by the red string since the beginning of time, you do not fit into the second criteria – a God.’

Hongbin was speechless.

Doesn’t that mean I can’t help bring Hakyeon-hyung back? I’m useless… He said to himself as he clenched his fists tightly.

‘But you can still help me in making sure the members enter inside of Dreamscape safely. You can still help Cha Hakyeon.’ Soo-ah told him.

‘How?’

~

Hongbin sighed as he recalled his conversation with Soo-ah last night. He couldn’t sleep all night because of what he was told and was feeling more envious of the other members who were once ‘Gods.’ Though Hongbin knew it was useless to feel envy or jealousy of the other members, he couldn’t help but feel that way. But what can the boy do? It isn’t like he can go back in time and plead the Gods to make him one of them right?

He let out another sigh.

‘Whether you are a God or human, you are still a very important person in Hakyeon’s life.’ Soo-ah tries to reassure him.

‘Whatever.’ Hongbin couldn’t tell whether the girl was being sincere or just wants to make him not feel as useless as he already does. He was upset.

‘I believe that your love for Hakyeon is no lesser than any of other members. In fact, you might even love him more than Jung Taekwoon.’

Hongbin looked up at her skeptically.

‘Then why is it always Taekwoon-hyung? It’s not fair…’

‘Whoever said that it has always been Taekwoon though? Hakyeon and the rest of you have been reincarnated so many times that even I could no longer keep track. He hasn’t always only loved Taekwoon alone.’

‘Huh?’

‘There you two are!’ Jaehwan came running in and interrupting their conversation before Hongbin could ask any further. ‘Manager-hyung is looking for us to finish up the rest of our schedules. Come on!’

Jaehwan pulled Hongbin off the bench by force and made him leave.

‘Huh? Wait-‘

~

With Soo-ah’s given consent and the member’s notice to their agency regarding their short hiatus, their CEO finally agreed to let the members do as they wished. It wasn’t like the five of them could perform whole-heartedly with their leader still in the hospital. Though they did not go into details with their CEO, the members assured the company that they were going to do all they can to bring Hakyeon back.

That being said however, one wrong step in the process can cause all six of them to disappear from this world altogether. No one has entered Dreamscape before, who knows what would happen once they enter?

As Taekwoon went to visit Hakyeon, the members continued to watch from outside. They were like hawks preying on the perfect timing to strike. That is, when Hakyeon finally falls asleep. But this Hakyeon was too energetic especially when Taekwoon visited.

‘Ugh, isn’t he like ever tired? Where does he get all that energy from?’ Wonshik grumbled impatiently.

‘I guess this Hakyeon-hyung beats our hyung in one thing… stamina.’ Jaehwan sighed.

‘But somehow, seeing this childish Hakyeon-hyung reminds of back when we were just rookies don’t you think?’ Hyuk commented. ‘It’s like his violent side never existed…’

‘I can’t help but agree with that. He’s like a harmless child whenever he’s next to Taekwoon-hyung.’ Wonshik nodded.

‘If only he didn’t hate us so much…’

The members all sighed in unison.

‘Hakyeon-ah, aren’t you tired?’ Taekwoon asked.

‘Hmm? Not really~’ The boy replied.

‘It’s okay if you take a nap. I’ll be here.’

Hakyeon shook his head.

‘It’s okay. I’m not tired. I’m just happy to see you. It’s almost as if it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake up from it.’

‘Okay…’

Taekwoon can hear this Hakyeon’s tone drop as he spoke. Though this is Hakyeon’s dark side, he was also similar to the real one. They appeared to be strong, but was actually very broken and lonely on the inside. As days went by, Taekwoon could see that this Hakyeon had a story of his own. Even though Taekwoon desperately wishes to bring his lifelong friend back to the real world, he can’t help but wonder why this Cha Hakyeon was so attached to him.

After his visiting hours were over, he bid Hakyeon goodbye and promised to come back the next day. He sighed as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

‘Seems like you might need more sleep than that hyung.’ Wonshik said.

Taekwoon scrunched his brows and his eyes were nearly keeping awake.

‘Don’t worry, just a little more and Hakyeon will eventually fall asleep. Whether he likes it or not.’ Soo-ah said.

‘Huh? What do you mean?’ Taekwoon asked.

‘I really didn’t want to make use of my authority here but I’ve  adjusted his medications a bit.’

‘What?!’ The members were alarmed.

‘Calm down. It’s just sleeping pills, a bit on the stronger side but I made sure to give it to him in safe dosages.’ She said.

The boys sighed a relief.

After several days have passed and the members could see the effects of the prescribed sleeping pills starting to kick in. Hakyeon would yawn constantly as Taekwoon would lullaby him or tell him stories in his melodic voice. Taekwoon knew the latter was susceptible to his voice, so he did his best to speak. Hakyeon was obviously tired and simply trying to fight the urge to sleep because Taekwoon came to visit every single day. The daily visits helped to make Hakyeon even more drained than he already is.

As per usual, Taekwoon accompanied Hakyeon and sat down on the bed to talk. Hakyeon was still clinging onto Taekwoon tightly.

‘Hakyeon-ah,’ Taekwoon tried to bring up a conversation with the boy.

‘Hmm?’ Hakyeon answered as he let out another yawn.

‘Why do you… like me?’

‘Huh? Hakyeon blushed. ‘I just do…’

‘But I want to know why. I’ve been so mean to you and have only said those horrible things to you. How can you like someone like me?’ Taekwoon spoke those words as if he was talking to the real Cha Hakyeon.

‘That’s okay.’ Hakyeon replied. ‘Because I know that’s not really how you feel. I know what kind of person you are. You’re a really nice person deep down inside.’

‘How are you so positive? I can hurt you, you know that?’

Hakyeon shook his head in disagreement.

‘You wouldn’t. You’re not that kind of person. You’re not like him.’

Him? Who is he referring to? Taekwoon wondered.

‘I just know it. Ever since a long, long time ago.’ He said.

Though Taekwoon knew that the Hakyeon sitting next to him isn’t the real Hakyeon, Taekwoon still felt weak just by looking at the boy. He was speaking with the same voice, the same expression and in the same body as his lifelong friend.

‘Hakyeon-ah, I-‘

Taekwoon wanted to continue their conversation but he felt something flop onto his shoulders. As he turned to see what it was, Hakyeon’s head have fallen.

The boy was finally asleep.

Taekwoon took notice immediately and looked out towards the window to see if the other members were paying attention. They were and nodded.

They eased the door slowly to go inside after being given the signal to proceed safely inside.

‘Seems like the medicine finally kicked in. Are you all ready?’ Soo-ah asked.

The members took a deep gulp and nodded.

As they found a spot around Hakyeon and Taekwoon, Soo-ah took out something from a locked box.

‘That’s the red string?’ Jaehwan asked.

Soo-ah nodded.

‘This is a specially made item from the Heavens for our mission. We must be careful while using it and there is only one chance. I will help to tie a knot around each and every single one of your wrists. But remember, you mustn’t lose focus of yourself once you have entered Hakyeon’s dreams. We have no clue what it is like within his Dreamscape and there are a limitless amount of obstacles waiting ahead of you all. Though we cannot seal away both the Dark Hakyeon and the Dark Taekwoon who is in hiding, here in the real world, we can definitely do so once you enter the dreams of infinite possibilities. Be cautious with your surroundings and do not lose yourself.’

The boys looked at one another one last time and held one another’s hands as they circled around Hakyeon.

Then, slowly, the members closed their eyes and relaxing their minds. With only one thing they could think of, ‘bring back their beloved leader, Cha Hakyeon.’

Slowly…

Drifting…

Their minds were beginning to link into the world of slumbers.

Another dimension and,

Another’s Dreamscape.

* * * * * * A/N * * * * * *

Many scenes in this chapter, so I hope you guys were able to read it slowly and understand it. Of course, there are still many questions to be answered but they will be solved as we go further into Dreamscape. Are you all ready?

P.S. Second lead syndrome for Hongbin anyone?